Like most movies, it’s very youth-driven. In fact, just to make sure kids get the political and environmental messages, Emmerich opted to forgo the technical language that usually makes us wish we’d paid more attention in science class. Unlike other disaster movies, this is pure surfer dude. If you can understand “ice age,” you’re ahead of the class. The half-dozen obscenities are mild, with another handful of profanities. We get a chaste teenage romance and the usual teen heroics, which Emmerich must hope will distract audiences from questioning why the three worldwide storms finally disappear, with no explanation. Other plot contradictions include Jack and his buddies running into a snow drift between Philadelphia and New York, where they get out of the car and walk – even though people are dropping like frozen flies all around them. I guess their special yellow suits have magical qualities.

Then again, if we can suspend belief as L.A. collapses under multiple tornados and New York freezes over, what is sub-freezing weather? And so what if all the women are reduced to helpless damsels who need rescuing? The graphics are great. It’s fun to watch a tidal wave crash over the Statue of Liberty and submerge Manhattan (although personally, I would have chosen Toronto or Chicago – haven’t New Yorkers been through enough?). It’s cool to watch buildings being flash-frozen and a barge cruising between skyscrapers. And, I got a good laugh when Americans fled to Mexico but the Mexican president blocked the borders – another political “I told you so.”

In more than one way, this is the ultimate come-uppance movie for big bad Republicans. There’s also a strong nihilistic message about the end of the world, with nothing to do but listen to environmentalists for our salvation. A contradictory postmodern implication centers around faith. A character insists that God is a myth but saves a Guttenberg Bible – but for its literary and historical qualities. Finally, Hall’s character offers yet another equivocal message. In pursuing his career, Hall neglected his family, which led to their divorce. But, it is his work that allows him to save people. So if Hall had worked less, he would never have stumbled upon this discovery. Where is the balance? Emmerich only muddles the question.

I didn’t expect more than a few visual thrills – and I wasn’t disappointed. We need to respect the environment, but this movie will only make people hang onto their SUVs. After all, four-wheel drives can be very handy in the snow.